Dota 2’s The International 2023 didn’t last long, but the matches sure did

Dota 2 The International 2023 experimented with a new format, introducing breaks between stages of the tournament. Despite these pauses, the event flew by, marking the shortest TI since its inception at TI1, according to statsman Ben “Noxville” Steenhuisen.

With most of the main event matches ending up being 2-0 sweeps, TI 2023 had the second-lowest total match count at 151 after TI1. While the overall matches hit an all-time low, the average match length told a different story.

TI 2023 was also the second longest TI after TI1 in terms of match lengths, with most matches averaging 42:40 minutes. The first ever TI had an average match length of 45:03 minutes, and considering players were just introduced to Dota 2 back then, it was quite normal.

Still, some teams tried to bring down these averages, like the Gaimin Gladiators. The runner-ups of the event had five of the seven fastest wins at TI 2023. Gaimin’s efforts were nullified by Quest Esports, though, as the WEU representative had the longest average game length at 56:12 minutes.

There were discussions regarding the pace of the meta coming into the event, and TI 2023 showcased that the current iteration of Dota 2 allowed multiple play styles. Gaimin, one of the fastest teams in the event, used deathball push strategies during the main event, while others opted out for slow drafts that took advantage of the new larger map.

The patch 7.34 increased the Dota 2 map’s size, preventing teams from being entirely forced out and enabling them to maintain their net worth even in challenging situations. This even caused supports and non-carry heroes to pick up the Hand of Midas during TI 2023 as teams didn’t want to push their luck, trying to end a game early when they could slowly scale into the late game.

Now that TI 2023 is over, players want the next update that is expected to introduce a new event and balance changes ahead of the 2024 season.